Remembrance - The Spiritual Practice of Zhikr

Available On-Demand

The human heart was created restless, Sufi tradition says, but indeed in the remembrance of God hearts find tranquility.

Kabir Helminski, a Sufi shaikh of the Mevlevi Order, which traces its inspiration to Jelaluddin Rumi, has again partnered with Spirituality & Practice to present an e-course on a classic Sufi practice.

In the spring of 2014, Kabir led an e-course on "Presence: Relationship with Divine Love" in which he presented ways to practice presence, the awakening of a comprehensive state of mindful self-awareness. Remembrance is a step further: an awareness of divine presence through the knowing of the heart. It is a qualitative deepening of personal presence that results in a continuous awareness of divine support and guidance.

Remembrance is enhanced and sustained by the spiritual practice of zhikr. Usually associated with the chanting of the Divine Names of God of the Islamic tradition, remembrance can also be practiced through breath, through awareness of the heart, and through reflections on our actions.

Kabir uses audio recordings with representative zhikrs to convey both the knowledge and the "state" of remembrance. He draws upon the primary sources of the Sufi tradition that beautifully express this dimension of human experience, especially Rumi, Ibn Arabi, and other great Sufis. Because Kabir recognizes an interspiritual dimension to this practice, people of all religious traditions and spiritual paths are welcome to learn this classic practice.

This e-retreat consists of:

• 12 emails

• Audio recordings guiding you through the practice of zhikr.

• A pdf of the 99 Names of God
Themes to be covered include:

• Entering the Garden of Remembrance. The Inner Ablution. The Aim of Existence. Knowing God through God.

• The Essence of the Name. Remembrance as the Purpose of Human Existence. How Remembrance Purifies.

• The Divine Vocabulary. Fractals of God. Receiving from the Real.

• All Beauties Are from One Beloved. Stages to Travel in the Remembrance of God. Living the Divine Qualities.